Serotiny is an
ecological adaptation exhibited by some
seed plants, in which seed release occurs in response to an environmental trigger, rather than spontaneously at seed maturation. The most common and best studied trigger is
fire, and although
serotiny is often used to refer to this specific case, this is an overgeneralization. Generally,
serotiny refers to plants that release their seed over a long period of time, irrespective of whether release is spontaneous. In this sense, the term is synonymous with
bradyspory.